Deliberate Legacies

Be the Buffalo and A...

I was reading a magazine the other day…well, reading might be a stretch since most of my reading takes place in the only room I can get a few moments of peace and quiet – the bathroom – but my time in there has to be limited (or else the 5 yr old starts to search...

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August 12th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Thankful Tuesday ...

This entry is part of Everyday Gyaan’s Thankful Tuesday Blog Hop… At the end of the post, feel free to check out other entries and/or add your own! My husband’s birthday was July 1st and while I threw together a very impromptu dinner (“Haystacks”) and bought...

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August 3rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

This Is Great, But&#...

Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold. – Maurice Selter We love food in the Benzakein household. Eli will often come and ask me what healthy food he can eat in order to have the junk food that he really wants. There have been times...

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August 3rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Random Items In My H...

I’ve been sitting here for almost an hour trying to come up with something to post. I’ve come up with some really good ideas, but they all required additional thought, soul searching, confessions, organization in general… And so I continued to sit here. While...

1 Comment »
July 30th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

We Are Family...

During difficult times in life, who has supported you, or have you supported? [I tried to write this blog entry last night, but my 4 month old daughter, Brenna, had other ideas – namely that she would stay up way, way past her bedtime and then only sleep so long as I held her and...

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July 22nd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

The Wisdom of Listen...

Wisdom has two parts: 1) Having a lot to say 2) Not saying it. – Church billboard in Vermont There are days when I have the gift of gab. On those days, I am funny. I am quick with the one-liners. I am a source of knowledge and understanding. On those days, I am warm and...

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July 16th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Help me feed babies ...

So, I was on twitter just a few moments ago, and WeAreTHATFamily sent out this tweet: (Caps are my doing) FOR THE NEXT 30 HOURS, WE’LL BE SAVING THE LIVES OF ORPHANED BABIES IN AFRICA. READY. SET. GO. I went to her blog post, and immediately opened up my WordPress...

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July 11th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Friday Forwards R...

This one came courtesy of my new Facebook friend, Dasha, who also has a really funny blog: Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo. And now the picture… Image Property of TeddytheDog.com Note: I am not affiliated with TeddytheDog.com nor do I earn any sort of reward (monitary...

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July 9th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Bend or Break?...

Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow; whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die. – Tao Te Chang, Lao Tsu’s teachings In my teens, I was quite into country music. I’d listen and sing along for hours after school.. practicing for the day when I’d...

1 Comment »
June 29th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Tadpoles, Mystery Ra...

Summer officially began June 21. Tell us the story of a favorite summertime memory! Growing up, we didn’t take family vacations. We didn’t share family meals. We weren’t reminded to brush our teeth before bed or prompted to say our prayers. We walked on eggshells…...

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June 23rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Mixed Berry Pavlova...

Have I mentioned that I love cookbooks? I have tons and tons of them (ok, maybe not, but lots for sure), and when I have nothing else to do, I will pull one off the shelf and flip through it looking for something that inspires me. A few weeks ago, that something was Ina Garten’s...

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June 22nd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Just a Few Reasons t...

I have been blessed with a great husband. Not only is he my best friend, but he is also the most amazing father to our two children. Credit for this forward (which I was going to post on Friday but clearly didn’t) goes to Charlotte Latvala and Parenting magazine (comments...

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June 20th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

First Crush...

We knew it would happen… We knew that one day, Eli would go off to school, and there he’d see her – maybe she would be walking down the hall or across the campus with the sun hitting her hair just right, or maybe she’d sit in front of him in class or maybe...

3 Comments »
June 8th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Celebrate Your BFF &...

Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things. ~Author Unknown Best Friend Day (June 8th) is a time to enjoy and appreciate your best friend. It’s a day to honor and cherish the relationship, not that it shouldn’t be honored and cherished...

4 Comments »
June 7th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein